marți, 1 noiembrie 2011

[Earthwise] Digest Number 2725

Messages In This Digest (10 Messages)

Messages

1.

Activism 101 w/Abby Leibman on Voices of the Sacred Feminine this We

Posted by: "Karen Tate" karentate108@ca.rr.com   specialjourn

Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:15 am (PDT)



Greetings Goddess Scholars, Friends and Family,

_*This Week on Voices of the Sacred Feminine:*_

Abby Leibman, co-founder of the CA Women's Law Center and President and
CEO of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger will discuss *Activism 101*.

Maybe you've been watching the news of Occupy Wall Street and wondering
how you can express yourself. Maybe you've been wanting to get involved
but don't know how. Tonight will certainly give you some insights into
how YOU can make a difference in our world. We are teetering on the
edge of a knife and which way we fall is up to all of us.

_*WHEN?*_ 6PM PST/9PM EST or anytime afterwards from the archives at
your convenience

*Remember if you cannot listen at 6PM Pacific, you can always catch this
show or any other show later from the archives at your convenience! If
you can't tune in live and have questions, you can always email your
questions several days before showtime. Thanks for your input and
feedback. Comments are always welcome.*

/THANKS for the recent donations sent in to support the show by Molly,
Kris and Wes. Blog Talk is no longer free. As the hostess, I pay for
airtime to give guests a platform for their work.
/
Find us here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/voicesofthesacredfeminine

Time: 6PM Pacific/9PM Eastern. You'll have to make adjustments for
your time zone. And the show is available later from the archives where
you might listen at your convenience.

*To call in: 718-766-4662
To listen: Click on:***

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/voicesofthesacredfeminine

*Remember the Three F's*: Mark us as a FAVORITE. Click FOLLOW so you
always get notice of what guests are coming up next and mark us as a
FRIEND, so you become a part of the global Voices of the Sacred Feminine
family!
*
*--

Karen Tate
www.karentate.com

http://www.examiner.com/x-22579-LA-Womens--Goddess-Spirituality-Examiner
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1291934676&ref=profile
http://www.myspace.com/karentate108
fOLLOW ME On TWITTER @karentate108

Voices of the Sacred Feminine Radio....Extended Edition
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/VoicesoftheSacredFeminine

Voices of the Sacred Feminine Radio Program Archives
http://www.karentate.com/Tate/radio_show.html

Author of Sacred Places of Goddess: 108 Destinations&
Walking an Ancient Path: Rebirthing Goddess on Planet Earth

You-Tube....http://www.youtube.com/isisisis13

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2.

ME

Posted by: "Gary Reese" hyperreal69@yahoo.com   hyperreal69

Mon Oct 31, 2011 9:20 am (PDT)



 Did anyone miss me the last couple of days? I was at an open circle, Samhain ritual, and helped set up and clean up. It wore me out so I didn't post yesterday. I guess because they asked me to play the role of High Priest and I am not used to drawing down the God, and he dies tonight that I was soooo worn out yesterday that I couldn't hold my laptop. It was a great privilege, and I feel blessed, but I did not know it would have such an effect on me physically and mentally. Has anyone else ever had this happen? Or is it just me? I am very empathetic!!! I will try and do some posting later, but due to the holidays, I am behind on college work. I have to write an essay and blah, blah blah, by tomorrow, but I will need a break too. If the computer doesn't get to be too much I will see you then. and Happy New Year all!!!

Light Begots Darkness and Darkness Begots Light, 
Dearest Hecate,  Mother of the Night,
Bright Blessings,
Gae       
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3.

Be a Fly in the Patriarchal Ointment - Sacred Sundays - At The Green

Posted by: "Karen Tate" karentate108@ca.rr.com   specialjourn

Mon Oct 31, 2011 1:55 pm (PDT)



Greetings Friends,

How many of us are tired of hearing how we are supposed to live?
* What our god is supposed to look like and be about.
* What we can and cannot do with our bodies.
* How we're supposed to worship.
* Who we can love and marry.
* That Goddess is a demon and Her spirituality isn't real or deserving
of equality and protection.
* That caring for one another and perpetuating ideals of caring, peace,
balance, fairness, equality and partnership are somehow a bad thing.

WELL, THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT OF SACRED SUNDAYS.

To gather with like-minded women and men who want to create a new
paradigm, a new future, one that works for us all in the delicious stew
of diversity that is the Divine Feminine and Sacred Masculine. Join us
monthly and be the change we want to see in the world. Help us set a
tone that ushers in a new world that rebirths the ideals of Goddess at
the center of society.

Sacred Sundays are back at the Green Man in North Hollywood and here is
our holiday schedule....please come and share sacred space with us. Open
to women, men and well behaved young people. Usually every fourth Sunday
at The Green Man store in North Hollywood, however, here is our holiday
schedule.....

Sunday, November 27 -- 11am to 1PM
Sunday, December 18 -- 11am to 1PM

Carve out some sacred space for yourself. Connect with community. Enjoy
singing, sharing, wisdom telling!

Then perhaps sacred shopping after the service!

Check out our link -- http://www.karentate.com/Tate/sacred_sundays.html

What are Sacred Sundays?
An interfaith service based on the Sacred Feminine, complemented by the
Divine Masculine, and open to women, men and well-behaved children of
all faiths and traditions.

Services followed by lite refreshments and community sharing.

Where:
The Green Man Store
5712 Lankershim Boulevard
N. Hollywood, CA 91601

Time: 11am - 1pm

Cost: $10.00 - No one turned away for lack of funds

Sacred Sundays Mission Statement

There is no one way. We emphasize that because it is vital in today's
world. There is no one way to embrace, engage and acknowledge the Divine
in our daily lives. We gather on Sacred Sunday to nourish our souls, to
gather in community, and to uplift our spirits. We use these moments in
time from our busy lives to help that connection with deity manifest, to
bring alive the memory of the teachings of the past, and to continue
benefiting from this now and in our future.

We encourage you to seek your own best path to the Divine. Remember that
it is always both within and outside ourselves, it surrounds and
permeates us. We are never alone. Besides reclaiming the knowledge and
wisdom of our Ancient Ones, we also remind ourselves on Sacred Sunday of
these values and how they pertain to our current reality. Even the most
experienced of us have things yet to learn. We invite you to join us as
we share our experiences to help you facilitate your own journey.

Sacred Sundays is open to women, men and children who wish to gather
with open hearts and minds, in a spirit of diversity, partnership,love
and tolerance, to gentle the Divine Feminine back into the lives of
humanity. Come and share with us ways to "live the Sacred Feminine" as
we shift our world from domination and patriarchy to partnership.

Facilitated By: Shelli, Samantha, Marsha and Karen, and Berit, our
Musical Director

QUESTIONS? PLEASE CONTACT:
Karentate108@ca.rr.com

May She Embrace You in Her Golden Wings,

Karen Tate
www.karentate.com

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4a.

Daily Guidance

Posted by: "Gary Reese" hyperreal69@yahoo.com   hyperreal69

Mon Oct 31, 2011 8:26 pm (PDT)



In the event of illness, a person with weak faith will be carried away by devilish influences. Such a persons life will then become impure, and he may finally lose faith entirely. A person with strong faith will be able to gaze directly at his own unhappiness and boldly overcome it with abundant diamoku. ...Daisaku Ikeda 
Light Begots Darkness and Darkness Begots Light, 
Dearest Hecate,  Mother of the Night,
Bright Blessings,
Gae       
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5.

Thought for the day

Posted by: "Gary Reese" hyperreal69@yahoo.com   hyperreal69

Mon Oct 31, 2011 8:34 pm (PDT)



 You must give if you expect return. You sow good things. You soon reap good things...Bob Buess
Light Begots Darkness and Darkness Begots Light, 
Dearest Hecate,  Mother of the Night,
Bright Blessings,
Gae       
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6a.

Progressive Witchcraft

Posted by: "Gary Reese" hyperreal69@yahoo.com   hyperreal69

Mon Oct 31, 2011 8:41 pm (PDT)



Spirit is at the core of my belief structure. Those who are progressive witches realize that spirituality must be a t the center of a witches belief, training and practice. Therefore the emphasis is on connection with the Divine, Diety, God, Goddess or by whatever name it is called. For those on a true spirit-path, connection and union with the Divine is the ultimate goal of being a witch..."Progressive Witchcraft", compiled by Janet Farrar 
Light Begots Darkness and Darkness Begots Light, 
Dearest Hecate,  Mother of the Night,
Bright Blessings,
Gae       
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6b.

Progressive Witchcraft

Posted by: "Gary Reese" hyperreal69@yahoo.com   hyperreal69

Mon Oct 31, 2011 8:43 pm (PDT)



Spirit is at the core of my belief structure. Those who are progressive witches realize that spirituality must be a t the center of a witches belief, training and practice. Therefore the emphasis is on connection with the Divine, Diety, God, Goddess or by whatever name it is called. For those on a true spirit-path, connection and union with the Divine is the ultimate goal of being a witch..."Progressive Witchcraf" compiled by Janet Farrar 
Light Begots Darkness and Darkness Begots Light, 
Dearest Hecate,  Mother of the Night,
Bright Blessings,
Gae       
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7.

Llewellyns Spell a day

Posted by: "Gary Reese" hyperreal69@yahoo.com   hyperreal69

Mon Oct 31, 2011 8:46 pm (PDT)



 
Spell A Day
ShareThis
A Light to Guide the Spirits
Monday
Halloween - Samhain

Color of the day: White
Incense of the day: Narcissus

Tonight is often called the Witches’ New Year, a night of celebration, when the veil between the worlds is thin. Samhain (Summer’s End) is the ancient Celtic festival at the root of our modern Halloween. Traditionally, ancestors were honored tonight and candles were placed in windows to guide their spirits. For this spell, you can use your Halloween jack-o’-lantern or create a special one carved with celestial symbols. Place a candle inside the pumpkin and set it in a place of prominence in your home or on your porch. To personalize the candle to honor a specific person who has passed, carve their name in the candle. Bless it with the following chant:
On this night, a hallowed
eve,
Spirits walking, roaming free,
Guide them with this
glowing light,
They have no need to bring us fright.

November is the eleventh month of the year. Its name is derived from the Latin word novem, meaning “nine,” as it was the ninth month of the Roman calendar. Its astrological sign is Scorpio, the Scorpion (October 23â€"November 23), a fixed-water sign ruled by Pluto. The harvest season is complete and the land is now at rest, for a moment. The bare beauty of nature can still be seenâ€"in the true shape of trees, their naked branches in silhouette against the sky, the ground covered with a soft mantle of brown leaves. Frost glitters upon the grass; see your breath in the gray morning. There may be a hint of wood smoke in the air, and you might glimpse a deer nibbling on bark. Thanksgiving is the major holiday this month, a time for families and friends to come together and celebrate lifeâ€"to express gratitude and enjoy a feast. November is a month for remembering, beginning with All Souls’ Day on November 2. As families tend to gather this month, and
people spend more time indoors, remember loved ones and tell stories. Honor memories. November’s Full Moon is called the Frost Moonâ€"spend some time this night reflecting on your ancestry or practice scrying by lighting some incense and watching the tendrils of smoke by candlelight.

This post was written by Ember Grant on October 31, 2011
http://www.llewellyn.com
Light Begots Darkness and Darkness Begots Light, 
Dearest Hecate,  Mother of the Night,
Bright Blessings,
Gae       
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8.

Exploring the Subconscious with Dowsing

Posted by: "Gary Reese" hyperreal69@yahoo.com   hyperreal69

Mon Oct 31, 2011 8:55 pm (PDT)



For the full article, copy and paste the link at the bottom of the page into your browser.

Exploring the Subconscious with Dowsing
This article was written by Kathryn Klvana
posted under Self-Help
Know thyself. That good advice goes back all the way to the days of Plato and Socrates, and the ancient Greek inscription at the Temple of Delphi. But sometimes, knowing yourself is a lot harder than it should be, especially if you are out of touch with what is going on at the subconscious level.
Even though our conscious, rational mind determines what choices we make in life, the hidden part of ourselves, our subconscious mind, is equally important. If these two halves of your mind are out of sync, you may find that everything becomes more difficult. Illnesses, accidents, anxieties, and fears are some ways the subconscious tries to get our attention. If your subconscious doesn’t agree with what you’d like to do, making changes becomes nearly impossible.
Dowsingis the perfect tool to talk to the subconscious mind and find out what’s going on beneath the surface. In many ways, it’s like the old-timer walking a field with a forked stick, trying to find water. In this case, you will use a pendulumto explore the subconscious and try to strike those deep veins of truth that are flowing beneath.
A pendulum can be anything that can dangle in a balanced way on a chain or string. Hold your pendulum in your dominant hand and tell yourself, “Show me a yes.” You are programming yourself to recognize a positive answer. My yes response is a clockwise circle, but yours may move counter clockwise or back and forth. Once you’ve established your yes, ask for a no. It may take some time to get your pendulum moving with just your thoughts, but you’ll eventually find that it gets easier with practice. For more help in learning to dowse, see my book, Intuition in an Instant.
Once you become comfortable with dowsing, you will have a valuable tool to help you explore your hidden motivations, much like a therapist might in a counseling session. You will want to get in the habit of talking to your subconscious on a regular basis. To do so, take a few moments to center yourself. Close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths. Once you are in a relaxed state, hold your pendulum and ask if you can connect with your subconscious mind. Then ask yourself for the name of your subconscious. This will help you access your subconscious more easily. Once you have a name, use your pendulum to confirm that this is what your subconscious wants to be called. In general, you may find it best to talk to your subconscious as if you were talking to a child. Be gentle with yourself and offer thanks for all the hard work it has been doing on your behalf. Then be quiet and ask what it is feeling. Something might come to mind quickly, an emotion or a
thought. If you are having problems with a particular project or goal, you might want to check in with your subconscious and use your dowsing skills to explore what’s going on. Deep-rooted blocks, false assumptions, and self-limiting attitudes can be buried deep in the subconscious. First you have to identify these blocks, and then you can begin to release them with the help of your pendulum. For instance, if you determine that the phrase, “I don’t deserve,” is rooted in your subconscious, you can do a clearing to help erase that from your mind.
Get settled in your favorite dowsing place. Take a few moments to center yourself and take a few deep, complete breaths. Calling upon your higher self to assist you, say out loud or to yourself, “I ask my higher self to examine my subconscious mind and remove the blocks that are related to ______ (the negative statement). Fill the space that is created with love and whatever I need most at this time.”
Dowse again to check and see if the block remains. If it does, you can talk with your subconscious and present reasons why that statement is false. Someone who deep down feels she doesn’t deserve all the success she has experienced might say to her subconscious, “We do deserve all the good we have in our life. We have worked hard to achieve our goals. We are a good person and we always try our best.” Then dowse to see if the subconscious is now ready for a clearing, and repeat the process.
............
Understanding what is going on inside the subconscious mind is a good place to start dowsing, because the process helps to remove obstaclesâ€"both to the goals we want achieve and to the intuition we want flowing in our lives. The clearer we are, the more accurate our dowsing will be. That journey starts by "knowing thyself."
 
Kathryn Klvana
Kathryn Klvana is an actress and writer. Her voiceover work includes documentaries for National Geographic Explorer, The Learning Channel, and the Discovery Channel. Kathryn teaches dowsing in the Washington, DC area, and has presented dowsing workshops... http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/2211
Light Begots Darkness and Darkness Begots Light, 
Dearest Hecate,  Mother of the Night,
Bright Blessings,
Gae       
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9.

"The Maker of Dreams"

Posted by: "Gary Reese" hyperreal69@yahoo.com   hyperreal69

Mon Oct 31, 2011 9:02 pm (PDT)



This is an excerpt from http://heathengods.com/temple/modules/articles/article.php?id=33 . I found this pretty interesting. Enjoy!

Wóden in Dreams and the Fine Art of Oneiromancy

Originally published in Théod Volume VI,
issue 2, Waelburges 1998
The Maker of Dreams

The modern heathen making even a cursory examination of the elder sources is apt to learn one thing: our forebears placed great importance on the meaning of dreams. In the Eddic lay Baldrs Draumar (literally “Baldr’s dreams”) it is the nightmares that Baldr is experiencing which alerts the Ése (ON Æsir) that Baldr may be in danger. In Víga-Glúms Saga it is through a dream that Fréa (ON Freyr) makes his enmity to Glúm known. Throughout the elder sources dreams play a major role, so much that we can conclude that the elder heathen placed great importance upon their meaning.

As the god of wisdom and a god who played a role in shaping man, including man’s soul, Wóden (ON Óðinn) would naturally seem to have a great deal to do with dreams. Indeed, one of his many names is Sváfnir, a name which can be interpreted both as “He Who Lulls to Sleep” or “He Who Lulls into Dreams.” Though the evidence for Wóden’s link to dreams is scant, we can perhaps conclude from this name that Wóden is “the maker of dreams,” a divine Sandman who does not use sand, but lulls human beings into dreams of a night nonetheless. As the “Master of Wód” and the god of such things as inspiration and poetry, it would only make sense if Wóden was the “Master of Dreams” as well.

Unfortunately, we almost never see Wóden manifesting himself in dreams in any of the elder sources. This is curious, as other gods do. As noted above, Fréa appeared to Glúm in a dream. Similarly, in Flóamanna Saga, Þunor (ON Þórr)appeared to a Christian convert in a dream and told him that his journey would be a rough one unless the Christian turned to him. Yet Wóden maintains a curious silence with regards to dreams.

When Wóden does appear to men it is in person, though often in disguise. As a tall one eyed old man, Wóden taught Harald Wartooth the military formation called svínfylking or “swine formation.” It was Wóden in the form of a ferryman who took the body of the slain Sinfjótli away. And for all the times Wóden appears in person, albeit often in disguise, to assist a hero or claim a hero for Valhöll, not once do we see Wóden appearing in a dream. Of course, Wóden is by far the wisest and wiliest of the gods, and just because he does not make cameo appearances in dreams does not mean he is not the god who ultimately directs them.

Wódenish Dreams in Elder Sources

Even though Wóden is curiously absent in most dreams portrayed in the elder sources, some of the dreams of which the scholars and saga writers wrote apparently bore his touch. Dreams featuring entities linked to Wóden appear in some of sagas. Similarly, other sagas feature dreams experienced by Wóden’s men. In both cases, it would seem likely that Wóden was the “wizard behind the screen,” orchestrating the content of these dreams.

Among Wóden’s most prized possessions is the eight legged grey (sometimes also said to be white) horse called Sleipnir. Though we are never explicitly told this, Sleipnir appears to have the ability to carry his rider past the gates of Hel and into the world of the dead. This can be seen in the Prose Edda, where Hermóðr rides Sleipnir to the underworld in order to beg Hel to free Baldr from her grasp. Sleipnir is also the swiftest of all horses and capable of galloping through the air and over the sea.

That among Wóden’s most important possessions should be a horse ought to come as no surprise. Among several cultures around the world horses are linked to death and the underworld. Among the Germanic peoples it was not unusual to bury horses with the deadâ€"hundreds can be found in graves throughout Scandinavia alone. That the grey Sleipnir had eight legs makes him rather unusual for a horse, but at the same time a rather fitting symbol of death. In Gods and Myths of Northern Europe(pp. 142-143), H. R. Ellis Davidson interprets Sleipnir’s eight legs as symbolising the pallbearers (each with two legs for a total of eight) who carry the dead man to his funeral. As Sleipnir is a grey, it seems to make sense that grey horses would have a stronger link to death than horses of other colours. And as god of death, horses would naturally be sacred to Wóden.

As a result, dreams as well as apparitions of grey horses are often believed to portend death. In Gísla Saga Súrssonar a woman mounted upon a grey horse appears to Gísli in a dream and calls him “home (that is, the afterlife).” In Sturlunga Saga, Guðrún Gjúdóttir returned from the dead riding on a grey horse, in a dream in which she foretold an impending disaster. In both dreams (although the latter took place in 1255, well after the Conversion of Iceland), we might wish to see the hand of Wóden. After all, in both dreams it is upon a grey horse that an individual foretells death. Considering the link between horses and death, hence the link between horses and Wóden, and the fact that Wóden’s own horse is grey, it seems only reasonable to assume that Wóden played some role in each of these dreams.

Just as horses are linked to Wóden, so too are the class of goddess known as Wælcyrigen (ON Valkyrjur). Indeed, the Wælcyrigen are often called the “handmaidens of Wóden.” It is their job to choose the battle slain in any battle and perhaps deliver them to Valhöll as well. And though today they are often romanticised as beautiful maidens who wait upon the battle slain in Valhöll, they have a more grisly side as well.

The Wælcyrigen make an impressive appearance in a dream in Njáls Saga. This particular vision appeared shortly before the Battle of Clontarf, fought at Dublin in 1014 CE. In it a group of women wove upon a loom made of men’s entrails and weighted with severed heads. They filled in a background of grey spears with a roof of red. As they wove, the women sang a poem called the Daraðarljóð or “Spear Lay” in which they identified themselves as Wælcyrigen and described their duty to choose the slain. This dream would appear to be a rather Wódenish one.

First, we have the appearance of the Wælcyrigen in the dream, who are a bit more savage than the stereotypical serving maid of Valhöll so often portrayed today. As stated above, the Wælcyrigen served Wóden in choosing the battle slain to go to Valhöll. Second, the weapon portrayed upon the web which they are weaving is the spear, a weapon particularly sacred to Wóden. Among Wóden’s possessions is numbered the spear Gungnir, one of many prizes forged by the dwarves. Sacrifices to Wóden appear to have been hanged and stabbed with a spear, apparently in imitation of his own sacrifice upon the World Tree to obtain the runes. Third, the subject matter of Daraðarljóð is not simply battle, but the mass death which occurs in battle. In the poem the Wælcyrigen describe the air as being red with men’s blood. All of these factors point to this dream having been inspired by Wóden, if not orchestrated by him as well.

Other dreams in the elder sources could also be considered Wódenish, in that the individuals who experience them are either followers of Wóden or linked to him in some way. An example of this can be found in the Poetic Edda’s “Brot of Sigurðarkviðu.” There Brynhild told of a dream in which her husband Gunnar rode, “fastened by fetters,” into an enemy army. This dream foresaw Gunnar’s death in Atli’s court, told in Atlakviða and other sources of the Sigurðr mythos. Of course, Brynhild was no mere woman. According to the Sigurðr myths she was a Wælcyrige (ON Valkyrja) who awarded victory to the wrong man and was so punished by being placed atop a mountain, where only the bravest of men could awaken her. Brynhild, then, has a very strong link to Wóden as one of his former “handmaidens” and her dream could probably be considered Wódenish. This becomes more likely when one considers the subject matter of the dreamâ€"the death of a
king in the court of his enemies. The dream’s subject matter would then appear to be suitably Wódenish as well.

Many scholars have put forth the theory that the Víga-Glúm of Víga-Glúms Saga was a Wóden’s man. The family of Glúm’s father were worshippers of Fréa, yet there is an incident in which Glúm visits his maternal grandfather, Vígfuss, who gives him a spear, a cloak, and a sword. He tells him that as long as he keeps these items he would maintain his power. And it is only after he gives away these items that his enemies conquer him. Of course, the spear and the cloak are items linked quite strongly to Wóden, the cloaked god who hanged upon the Tree wounded by a spear. From this it would appear that Glúm had converted to the cult of Wóden.; indeed, afterwards he seems to behave more as a follower of Wóden than follower of Fréa (it must be stressed that this is not what placed Glúm on bad terms with Fréa, but rather killing a man on ground holy to the godâ€"a mistake no wise Wóden’s man should have made).

We are told that when Vígfuss died, his hamingja (either his luck or his fetch), seen in a dream as a gigantic woman, went to Iceland to join Glúm. This dream, portraying the transferral of a forebear’s luck or fetch (or both, for that matter) to his descendant, could possibly be linked to Wóden. After all, prior to his death, Vígfuss gave Glúm symbols of Wódenâ€"the spear and the cloakâ€"upon which Glúm’s power depended. The transferral of Vígfuss’s luck or fetch to Glúm could be considered the final part of a Wódenish legacy from grandfather to grandson. The dream, then, could possibly be considered Wódenish in nature.

Of course, it is impossible to know for certain whether any of the dreams cited above originated from Wóden himself or if it was a simple case of unconscious thoughts of the One-Eyed God manifesting themselves in the form of dreams. Either way, all of these dreams held some significance for the dreamers and in many cases they involve symbols which are undeniably linked to the god.

Creative Dreaming

In all of the above cases, the dreams each individual had simply occurred spontaneously without any act of will on the part of the individual. It would then seem that the average heathen would be at the mercy of random happenstance with regards to receiving knowledge from dreams. Fortunately, this does not appear to have been the case, as shown by both folklore regarding dreams and the elder sources.

For instance, an old superstition holds that dreams experienced on holidays or before important events (such as weddings or battles) held more significance than dreams experienced at other times. An example of this from the dreams cited above is the dream of the Wælcyrigen experienced before the Battle of Clontarf, which proved significant for those involved in the battle. Similarly, dreams had on the nights of holidays have traditionally been regarded as being more prophetic than other dreams. An old superstition is that the dreams one has each night of Yule may forecast what is to come in each of the twelve months of the next year.

While important events and holidays could bring significant dreams, however, the elder heathen were not entirely at the mercy of the time of year in inducing such dreams. Various sorts of dreams could also be induced through the use of various herbs as well. Among the most famous examples of this is mugwort, which when used to stuff a pillow could open the mind to particularly prophetic dreams. Many modern heathen have experimented with the use of galdors and runestaves to induce particular sorts of dreams as well. Though none of the elder sources mention this practice as having occurred in ancient times, considering the extremely varied uses to which galdors and runestaves were put in ancient times there is no particular reason to assume that this particular usage is not a valid one.

Another example of inducing a particular sort of dream can be found in Flateyjarbók. There a man wishing to learn poetry slept upon the mound of a dead poet. In a dream the dead man within the mound appeared to him and taught him a poetic verse. Afterwards the man could compose poetry as well as any skald.

This incident demonstrates two factors which might be important in obtaining the sort of dreams one wants. First, the place where one sleeps and dreams could be significant in the sort of dreams one has. Obviously, the man wishing to become a poet had a greater chance of learning poetry sleeping on the mound of a dead poet than he would have had sleeping in his bed at home. Of course, this points to a belief common to many peoples, among them the ancient Greeks, that sleeping in holy places, such as temples, could induce particularly prophetic dreams. Sleeping on a burial mound would seem to be a variation on this theme. Second, the dead can bring knowledge to the living by way of dreams. It is significant that that the man wanting to learn poetry did not learn it through some dream symbols or something of the like, but rather was taught it by the dead poet buried within the mound. Third, it would appear that to some degree the individual could by sheer
force of will determine the content of his dreams. After all, the man who slept on the dead poet’s grave wished to learn poetry. It would seem reasonable to assume then that even as he bedded down atop the dead poet’s burial mound that he would have been focusing on his desire to learn poetry in order to make clear his intention of dreaming such.

This instance of sleeping on a dead poet’s mound to obtain knowledge should probably not be considered the same as the various instances of summoning the dead for knowledge (such as those which appear in Völuspá or Gróagaldr) or instances of sitting out to commune with the wights. The former, though similar to the incident of dreaming on a dead poet’s mound in Flateyjarbók, differs in that in these incidents the individual (such as Svípdagr in Gróagaldr ), usually recited a galdor with which to call forth the dead person and the the individual is apparently awake or, at least, entranced throughout the entire act of communing with the dead. The man desiring to learn poetry apparently did not sing a galdor prior to the act of sleeping on the mound and was quite obviously asleep and dreaming when he communed with the dead poet. The latter practice of communing with wights appears to have been linked with the act of shapeshifting. In these
incidents, whether the person was considered to be asleep or entranced, the individual appears to have sent his soul forth to join others or to communicate with such wights as trolls. It is just this practice which is condemned in the Potentiale Ecclesiarum Germaniæ (Corrector), a penitential written in the 10th or `11th century. The individual in Flateyjarbók apparently did not send his soul forth to meet with the dead, but rather the dead poet appeared in a dream which the individual had. Though similar in some respects to the practice of shapeshifting to commune with “spirits,” it is also fundamentally
different.

We know from the elder sources that dreams sometimes held great significance. We know that many of these dreams may have been touched by Wóden himself or at least inspired by him on an unconscious level. We also know that the individual could influence the sorts of dreams he might have on a given night. Dreams experienced on a holy tide or before an important night were known to have more significance than dreams experienced at other times. Similarly, the individual could influence dreams through the use of herbs, galdor, runestaves, or even the choice of where he was to sleep. The modern heathen can then to some degree determine the content of his dreams, their “theme” if you will, and obtain the knowledge he needs from them. Considering the importance that the elder heathen placed upon dreams, there is no reason for us not to do so.

© 1998 Eric Wódening
Light Begots Darkness and Darkness Begots Light, 
Dearest Hecate,  Mother of the Night,
Bright Blessings,
Gae       
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